Halo: A Company
by IMATHEMUDKIP
Summary: Sir! Corporal Perez, A Company. CP's this way. The Lt. got hit as soon as we dropped in.That statement intrigued me, so here it is!
1. Chapter 1

"Hang on, Marines!" The pilot of the Pelican yelled. "Looks like the LZ's a hard drop!"

Corporal Perez gripped the top of the drop ship's troop bay. Once the Pelican hit the drop altitude, he'd be cut down almost instantly. The fact that his issue was an SMG didn't console him any further.

Sergeant Banks, Lieutenant Forman, Corporal Mckenzie, all of them got seats. He envied them. Mckenzie got lucky; the other two were at the back because they were the highest ranking.

To take his mind off of his imminent doom, he surveyed the area. There were two bridges across two roads, crossing like a tic-tac-toe board. There were several Elites, with Jackals in front, forming an efficient defensive arc with their shields. He primed a grenade and tossed it down. It got blown by the turbulence of the outward engines, and didn't even get close to the arc.

"Damn." Perez groaned, seeing just how much a grenade was worth.

"Perez, don't even think about trying that again!" Mckenzie growled.

The two were friends, but the tension of the mission they'd been assigned dissuaded them from talking almost completely.

The Pelican drifted over the top of a large, multi-floored building, at the large deck.

"Almost at altitude!" the pilot called over the speaker. "There! Hit 'em hard! Jump time!"

Perez unslung his SMG and leapt. Strangely enough, the Covenant didn't fire. Mckenzie and Banks jumped, but as Forman started his jump, he caught a slug from a Covenant Carbine and fell.

Clever Elites; they had waited until the lower-ranking troops up front had dropped, then fired on the higher ranking troops that went down last.

Forman was dead before he hit the ground. Sergeant Banks immediately assumed control, and ordered the snipers to set up and keep the Covenant's heads down.

Immediately, priority number one was getting the building secure. Perez was ordered, along with Mckenzie and some other Marines, to sweep the stairs and lower floors.

"Why are we always given the hard parts?" Perez groaned. Mckenzie turned.

"They don't want to lose their higher ranking officers, so they send us ground pounders to do the dirty work."

They went down the stairs to the balcony. Perez saw something, then felt his gun get heavier. He looked down. A plasma grenade had stuck to his SMG!

"LOOK OUT!" He screamed, hurling it to the side. It flew just outside of detonation range and exploded, a forceful blue cloud of white heat and alien gas. He and his team broke for the nearby door, as the horde opened fire.


	2. Chapter 2

Perez kicked the wall. He was stuck in the building, without even a puny pistol to protect himself. Covenant bastards. He tried to think of a way to get a weapon, when he heard stocky footsteps and high-pitched chatter.

"Grunts," one of the marines said, grinning as he set the heavy machine gun down at the top of the stairs. "They don't have any idea that we've got this, so they've sent in Grunts!" He started laughing.

"Shut up!" Mckenzie growled. "They will know if you keep laughing like that!"

The first Grunt came around the corner, stopped, stared, and started shaking as it saw the gun.

"Hehehe…" The marine giggled at the paralyzed grunt. "Hehe… hahaha…"

He started firing, the loud noise and smoke obscuring the stairwell.

"Muhahaha… AHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Perez covered his ears. "MARINE!?! ARE YOU BRAIN DAMAGED OR SOMETHING!?! HOLD YOUR FIRE!!!"

The marine stopped. The smoke was thick, and everyone started to choke.

Mckenzie hacked. "COUGH Marine, CHOKE off that turret… now…"

The marine stepped back and let out a sad sigh. "Did I get 'im?"

Perez looked out as the smoke cleared. The needler that the grunt had been carrying had fallen on the ground, but the grunt itself was gone.

"Marine, that was pitiful! You didn't even get close!" Mckenzie roared. "Get your tail back to the top deck and report to Sergeant Banks. He could find a use for you!"

"Hey! Mckenzie, could I grab that needler? I lost my gun."

Mckenzie turned. "Hmm… They could be waiting by the entrance. I'll bounce a grenade in there to confuse 'em. You get the needler then."

"But I've still got a grenade left!"

"Yeah, and the first one went HOW? Just hold. That needler is only stop gap. We've got a supply drop coming in about 1830 hours."

He chucked the grenade down and took cover. The blast, however, didn't come.

Perez looked over. A blue Elite had come around the corner, and had just then caught the grenade and held the safety lever. Its mandibles twisted into a remote likeness of an evil grin.

Perez knew what was coming, so he took his chance. He dashed out and tackled the Elite with all of his strength. It hadn't expected such a move, so it toppled to the bottom of the stairs with him.

Perez grabbed the grenade in one hand, the needler in the other, and jabbed the glistening purple spikes into the creature's chest, then hurling the grenade into the other room.

He stood and ran up the stairs as the grenade detonated, spitting fire and razor-sharp metal into the bottom of the stairs.

Mckenzie gaped at the rash maneuver and struggled to get a word out.

"Wha-… how… did you do that!?! Are you Master Chief or something!?!"

Perez shrugged. "I needed a gun."


	3. Chapter 3

Mckenzie and Perez radioed Banks to assist.

"Roger, Corporal," Banks replied, "Give us a minute, though. There's a problem."

"What kind of a-?" Mckenzie began, but he was interrupted by a loud explosion. The whole building shook, and several loose ceiling tiles came off.

"THAT kind of a problem!" Banks yelled, cutting the radio.

Perez peeked around the corner. "That Elite was the only one there. The rest were Grunts, and I ragged 'em with the grenade," he reported. "But-!"

Another large explosion, and one of the vending machines in the entryway toppled to the floor.

"Wraiths. They picked the perfect time, too." Mckenzie growled. Three of 'em out there, and several Jackals have taken bridge posts."

"Sniper Jackals?" Mckenzie asked.

"Sniper Jackals." Perez confirmed. He opened his radio.

"Sarge!" He yelled, "What is going on? We're sitting ducks like this, and I don't think it'll be much longer before they come waltzing in through our front door!"

"I've just called in for reinforcements; a Scorpion tank and a few soldiers," Banks responded, "but it'll take a while before they get here. Try to return to the roof and rearm. We might be in for a long fight."

"¿Qué es el infierno que pensar?" Perez growled, "It's not even close to safe out there! Even BEFORE the Wraiths popped outta nowhere, it's been dangerous! Now, with their artillery, snipers, and whatnot, he wants us to just turn around and march right back up!?!"

"C'mon!" Mckenzie grabbed Perez and hauled him up the stairs.


End file.
